The Deep Blue Sea
Directed by Terence Davies
Review by Thomas W. Campbell
Originally published on April 17, 2012 on the website of The National Board of Review

The Deep Blue Sea, the new film by Terence Davies (Of Time and the City, House of Mirth), is an adaptation of the 1952 play by Terence Rattigan. It is the story of an obsessive and depressed woman named Hester (Rachel Weisz) who leaves her marriage with Sir William Collyer, a wealthy and respectable older man (Simon Russell Beale) for the arms of Freddie, (Tom Hiddleston), her younger lover, an erratic playboy without means to support her. The plot begins with a suicide attempt by Hester then plunges us into the despair and fear of a woman desperate for the love of a man incapable and unwilling to give her what she wants–love and sex.

There is an austere beauty to the world of 1950 England that Davies creates for the screen. His previous film, 2008’s Of Time and the City, was his first documentary and created a very personal vision of Liverpool, England, his home town. The world of The Deep Blue Sea is awash in muted colors and great design. The vintage middle class wardrobe of the young pub crawlers who Hester spends time with, the wealthy elegance of tuxedos and gowns which represent the society Collyer moves in, the opulent mansion and classic British luxury car, the dark contrasted with the monochrome sepia of the flat that Hester has “stepped down” to. The effect is to transport one to an England that feels nostalgic and somewhat hyper-realistic. Much of the film’s pleasure comes from the highly detailed set design and the high contrast and deep saturation of the image–often presented in a palette highlighting earthy browns and greens, especially in the flat where Hester attempts suicide. Equally effective are the the physical details, almost incomprehensible to a modern audience, specifically defining time and place. In the suicide sequence that opens the film, Hester struggles with coins, dropping them with large kerplunks into (we finally realize) a meter device that must be fed to provide the gas that heats the apartment. A relic of early 20th century design, the tiny spouts of the peculiar shaped ceramic-faced unit come to life as they belch invisible and deadly gas.

Unfortunately the visual strength of The Deep Blue Sea, inspired by a love for the England of previous generations, can not mask the film’s deep flaws. Davies has saddled himself with a dated and extremely cumbersome script. The dialogue, especially when Hester is with her husband and/or her mother-in-law, feels creaky and literal–a raised eyebrow away from parody. An example occurs when, only moments after Freddie has just stormed away from Hester, Collyer is at the door. They have a rambling conversation that finally concludes with Hester expressing her desire to experience lust (with Freddie), while Sir William Collyer chooses to forego desire. Though sounding vaguely feminist at this moment, Hester is a miserable failure because she wastes her life begging for the attentions of a man who does not love her. If there is a best line in the film it is delivered by a secondary character–an older man who is an informal doctor. When he is challenged by Collyer, the somewhat scruffy man becomes offended and says “I give my respect to those who’ve earned it–to every one else I’m civil.”
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